Which would be the characteristics of a prologue? I mean, what makes a prologue a prologue? Because if not, it'd only be Chapter 1. So, I assume there a certain features that differentiate the prologue from a regular "Chapter 1". Which are them?
I know there might be no written rules to answer my above question. However, it'd be interesting to read your insights about what makes a prologue a prologue.
Kiss,
Gacela
mblelsoe:
I don't think head-hopping is a bad thing. I'm reading now Jurassic Park (yet again, yes) and Michael Crichton does the head-hopping thing all the time. Not only in this one, but in most of his novels. I think it's matter of mastering the thing so the reader won't get confused.
Kiss,
Gacela
Try Laura Kingsley. https://laurakingsley.wordpress.com/ She edited my novel Amber Eyes now on Amazon and she did a pretty good job for a fair price.
Kiss,
Gacela
Ancient Greeks believed it was impossible to escape from your fate. Attempts to do so only ended on the fate being fulfilled (Oedipus, for example). My suggestion is that the combined efforts of your characters save the world, however unlike--and even contradictory--their methods might be. The reader will be expecting that only one succeed, but you'll give the reader an extra bonus when both of them do.
Kiss,
Gacela
The best improvements are:
1. The in-line/x-line reviews. When you're reviewing, they allow you to post notes immediatly upon bumping into something. When your work is being reviewed, you receive a pretty good ammount of suggestions and comments, much more than when regular reviews are posted.
2. The messaging tool. Formely, you could only contact other authors through the Forums. I know some people long for those Forums where everything was public, even when John Hamler asked GP what time it is, but the current messaging system is way beyond that old communication mean and allows us to expand over a partricular topic with another author.
3. The covers are a minor point, because they are not absolutely needed for reviewing, but I must admit I live them.
Kiss,
Gacela
Congratulation! I second Susan, specially to Ang.
Kiss,
Gacela
Sorry for learning about your loss, Linda. Your family will be in my prayers.
Kiss,
Gacela
I use WriteWay which I recommend because it allows to take note, organise your chapters and back and front material, description of characters etc. It's main drawback is the lack of a decent spelling checker and a good thesaurus, so what I do is I write in Microsoft Word and then copy and paste everything to WriteWay. You would ask why then use WriteWay at all. Answer is because the rest of the features that keep your novel perfectly well organised.
Kiss
Gacela
I second! It just happened to me and it's anooooying!
Kiss
Gacela
Ang:
That's what I thought. No workshop but getting your name out there. do you feel it's helped you bringing people to your other books?
Kiss
Gacela
Susan:
I've just checked Wattpad and created my account. Got some questions:
1. It seems there are thousands of stories here. Unlike TNBW, the comments posted don't seem to be very helpful, if they are at all. People only read the stories and comment "awesome" or "nice, I'm looking forward to read the next chapter" etc. Clearly it's not a site where an author can expect constructive feedback but something very similar to receiving a thumbs up or a thumbs down. Am I right?
2. Assuming the above, from the standpoint of an author interested in sales, the reason to post a story here is similar to giving away for free the first book in a series so people get on board. Have you published in Wattspad? Are you publishing anything right now? What are your objectives as a writer when you publish to Wattpad? Of course, the Wattpad folks who have already read your story may not buy it, unless it's an amazing bestseller. However, they might be interested in buying other of your stories not available in Wattspad. Am I getting it right?
3. What is your experience with Wattspad? Is it really useful to build a community that is afterwards interested in following you as an author and thus in buying your books?
Sorry for asking so many questions. I'm totally new and all the help you girls can provide me.
Kiss,
Gacela
Ang/Sussan:
Thanks for the tips. I really need them for I'm totally new and have no clue how to do it.
Kiss,
Gacela
Has anybody advertised on "The Books on Line Directory" http://booksonline.directory/home.php? Somebody recommended it to me, but I'm not sure if it's worth to pay an add there.
Kiss,
Gacela.
Has anybody advertised on "The Books on Line Directory" http://booksonline.directory/home.php? Somebody recommended it to me, but I'm not sure if it's worth to pay an add there.
Kiss,
Gacela.
Dear poeticpasion21
Other important thing that you MUST do is to acknowledge the reviews you receive. By doing so, you show the people who reviewed you that you care about what they wrote, and about the time they spent reading and reviewing your work. This post generated several reviews, so far I see you have answered none. At least a "thank you" would be expected.
That's one of the ways in which you secure continuous feedback and build strong relationships within TNBW.
Kiss,
Gacela.
Get well, Tom. Rest as much as you need.
Kiss,
Gacela
Congrats!!!
Week done.
Kiss, Gacela
Welcome, Skip. Which is your genre? Don't worry about being the new kid on the block, we all went through that. The community is awesome. You'll enjoy it.
Kiss,
Gacela
Thanks Susan. This is amazingly helpful. Even more for newbies like me. Thanks for posting.
Kiss,
Gacela
Congrats to ask finalist. Well done!
Kiss,
Gacela
Susan/Angela:
I've just published my first novel ever in Amazon. I have no experience about book promos and advertising, or hitting FB groups. What would you guys recommend?
Kiss
Gacela
It's very sad to confirm that greed and blindness prevails.
These "Big 5" are fighting for business as usual when business as usual is dead! This is a movie we've already seen. Back in the mid 50's, Hollywood started a fight against TV. They shot this spectacular films (Cleopatra, Ben-Hur, etc) looking forward to present amazing things that the TV would never be able to reproduce on its little screen. It was a lost battle. Hollywood had to reinvent themselves. Until then, they struggled in a battle against TV which was lost before it even started. The new media--the TV--had come to stay, and people abandoned the enormous movie theatres.
It's the same with eBooks. They're here to stay. It's the future of books. Will printed books disappear? Not in our lifetime, and maybe not ever. However, the eBook, as the TV did, represents a new media that must be considered. My granddad talks about the times when you went to movie theatres to watch newscasts. Not live like TV newscasts, but recorded ones that ran all during a week. This feature moved out to the TV because people preferred to watch live newscasts, but we still watch The Age of Ultron in movie theatres. This means that some movie studies reinvented themselves to remain alive.
Sames with eBooks. Printed books will continue to be the preferred medium in cases in which touching the thing is important, like children pop-up books, or books for blind people. Printed books will still be used in countries where technology has not arrived yet or is not affordable. However, in first world countries, anything that can be read on tablet or on a smartphone will be, because it's practical and easier. The big 5 have to live with that.
The prob is the Big 5 don't want to live with that because they still believe they can profit more from printed books than from eBooks. That's call greed. If they don't reinvent themselves, there will be a sixth one who will understand the value of eBooks, who will dedicate themselves to "printing" and marketing eBooks, and who will get very rich. Few people will buy eBooks as expensive as printed books, but they will buy cheap eBooks, with stories as good as the expensive ones, from indie authors or from the big Sixth.
Out of the other 5, only one or two will survive because they never adapter to the new media. That's called blindness.
Kiss
Gacela
Amber Eyes is for free in Amazon today!
Don't miss this opportunity to read an epic, coming of age, young-adult story!
And if you are so kind, please leave a honest review in Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Amber-Eyes-Marian … amber+eyes
Kiss,
Gacela.
Congratulations Dagnee. Why I am not surprised? You're such a great poet!!!
Kiss,
Gacela
Thanks Tirzah. I changed the fonts to make the title a bit more appealing. Something feminine and mysterious at the same time. Hope it actually conveys that message.
Kiss
Gacela
